Sudan hands life terms to Egypt dissidents

The Egyptian Network for Human Rights (ENHR) said that a Sudanese court issued life sentences against a number of Egyptian dissidents who have been detained in Sudan for two years, with their deportation coinciding with the arrival of an Egyptian security delegation.

The rights group said that a high-ranking Egyptian security delegation visited Khartoum on Sunday during which the sentences were issued. Four Egyptians were sentenced to life, five were sentenced to two years in prison and two were acquitted. All will be deported after serving their terms.

The detainees who were sentenced to life imprisonment are Shaaban Khalil Abdel-Azim, Mahmoud Ahmed Wajih, Ahmed Hanafi Abdel-Hakim and Taha Abdel-Salam Al-Mujeis, while Mahmoud Fawzi Abu Al-Fath, Saeed Al-Aziz Hamed, Fawzi Abu Al-Fath Al-Faqi, Tariq Ali Saif and Abdel Nasser Awad Ali were sentenced to two years in prison.

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The detainees were subjected to various periods of arbitrary detention and enforced disappearance prior to standing trial. They have also complained of physical and psychological torture and the denial of visits and access to lawyers.

For its part, Al-Sudan Al-Youm newspaper said that the court accused the detainees of belonging to the Muslim Brotherhood and collecting weapons and materials to manufacture explosives for use against the Egyptian regime.